City of New Hope
by Sharity
Summary: It is twenty years after City of Heavenly Fire. There is a new generation of Shadowhunters, and a new generation of love, friendship and badass demon-slaying. Follow the children of our beloved Mortal Instruments characters when a tragedy strikes. When they are on the edge of a war between the Downworlders of New York City. (All rights to Cassandra Clare)
1. Chapter 1

Carly Herondale looked at her sister's face. The flawless skin had lost all its color, and so had the lips. Her golden eyes were closed forever, bound with white silk. The wavy, blonde hair had lost all its life. Aloise looked so peaceful where she lay in the coffin with her hands resting on her chest, a seraph blade in her right hand. She had been dressed in her favorite white dress. It almost looked like she was just sleeping, like she would open her golden eyes any second and smile her enchanting smile at Carly. Almost, but not quite. Carly took one last look at Aloise before she opened her mouth and formed her last words for Aloise.  
" _Ave atque vale_. Hail and farewell."  
She turned around and silently walked back to her seat between her mother and father. Not a single tear fell down her cheeks. She knew that if she started crying, she would never be able to stop.

After the ceremony, everyone left together. It must have looked strange to the mundanes, a small group of sad looking people with weird tattoos all over their bodies leaving a funeral, all dressed in white. Carly didn't care. She wouldn't care about anything today. All she had to do was to survive the day. For the sake of her parents. She looked sideways, at her mother. Clary carried herself with just grace, Carly felt a little jealous. She looked at her other side, at her father. Carly knew that her father was trying to keep it together in front of his family, but she knew Jace's face to know that he was destroyed. Carly swallowed the growing lump in her throat and look down at her dress. The white, silky fabric was soft against her pale skin. Isabelle had picked it out for her. Carly felt her heart warm when she thought of her aunt, Jace's adoptive sister. Isabelle had been such a rock for Clary and Jace, and that meant the world for Carly.

The Shadowhunters wandered the streets of New York City, invisible to all the mundanes. Florian watched their innocent faces. None of them knew about the Shadow world. Sometimes, Florian had to admit to himself that he wanted to be like them. Unknowing of demons and darkness. Free from the responsibility of everyday saving the world. Instead of thinking about that, he turned to look at the other Shadowhunters walking around him. There was Jace and Clary with Carly. Florian couldn't even begin to imagine what this must be like for them, so he didn't even try. He looked at his sister Blythe and his younger brother Elwin. He shuddered at the thought of losing one of them… Then he looked at his father. Alec looked so sad. Not just because his _parabatai_ had lost one of his daughters, Florian realized, but also because Magnus hadn't even showed up at the funeral. Florian didn't want to think about the absence of his second father, so he looked at his aunt Isabelle and her boyfriend Simon. There were holding hands. But that wasn't what Florian what looking for. He gazed over the sea of white until he found her. She was walking alone, her shiny, black hair blowing in the wind. Today she was wearing a short, white dress with long sleeves. To Florian, she looked like an angel. He hesitated for a moment before excusing himself to Alec, and walked toward the angel walking alone.

"Elaine? Are you okay?", she heard his voice behind her.  
Before turning around to face him, she quickly wiped the tears from her face. She met Florian's green-brown eyes. She had to say, he looked handsome today. The wind had made his golden hair messy, and the white suit he was wearing looked good on him. Elaine hated herself for thinking that. Florian was her adoptive cousin, and she had just left the funeral of her _parabatai's_ sister.  
"Yeah, totally.", she finally answered Florian.  
He didn't look convinced, so Elaine tried smiling at him. It must have looked more like a grimace. How could it be like that? She was so good at flirting with all the boys she met, and they always fell for her. How could it be that she was so terrible at everything around Florian? Maybe it was because they were cousins. But they were not really related. Elaine's uncle Alec and his ex-husband Magnus had adopted their three children; Florian, Blythe and Elwin.  
When Florian smiled back at her, she forgot that he was supposed to be her cousin. The one thing she remembered was that Florian did not just look handsome today; he always looked handsome. And it killed her to think about that.


	2. Chapter 2

Carly had difficulties falling asleep that night. Every time she closed her eyes, she just saw Aloise lying in that coffin. After a few hours, she decided that she wouldn't even try to sleep anymore. Instead, she put on the worn out slippers by her bed and quietly left her room at the Institute. She had no idea where to go, but somehow she ended up at the door to Alec Lightwood's room. When she saw the light under the door, telling her that Alec was awake, she slowly knocked. It only took a few seconds before he opened, still in his white funeral suit. His blue eyes were full of despair.  
"Hey, I'm sorry to bother you this late, but do you have a moment?", Carly blurted out.  
Alec nodded slowly and took a step back, allowing Carly to enter. The room looked very neat, like it always did when Carly had visited, which was not often. After Magnus and Alec had split up, the latter had moved back to the Institute with his three children.  
"How are you?", Alec asked, before sitting down on the edge of his bed.  
The bed looked like it had been untouched for days. Carly carefully sat down next to him.  
"I don't know. Okay, I guess.", she answered.  
Alec nodded. They sat quietly for a long while, before Carly decided to ask what she had been wondering since she first saw Alec after Aloise had died.  
"How do you survive? I mean… when you lost your brother, Max? And then Magnus? How did you…", she started, but Alec interrupted her.  
"I really think you should get back to bed, Carly. You need some sleep."  
There was a sudden anger in his voice, and his eyes. But he didn't sound mad at her, he seemed… mad at himself. Carly just wanted to hug him, but she knew that he wouldn't like it, so she just stood up and walked toward the door. Just before she left, she heard Alec speak to her. She barely heard him, but she couldn't avoid his words.  
"If you're going through hell, keep going."  
Carly didn't answer him.

The morning sun touched lightly on the eyes of Elaine Lightwood. She yawned and pressed her pillow over her head, blocking the light from blinding her. She needed twelve more hours of sleep. At least. But a slight knock on the door prevented her from pursuing her dreams.  
"Yes?", she asked, still with the pillow covering her face.  
The door opened, and Elaine recognized the sound of her mother's stiletto heels on the stone floor.  
"There is something your father and I have to tell you.", Isabelle said.  
Elaine took the pillow from her head and sat up, pulling the cover around her bare shoulders. What could they possibly have to say that was so important, the day after Aloise's funeral?  
"Then where is he?", Elaine asked.  
"He's with Clary. She really needs her _parabatai_ right now.", her mother answered.  
Of course Clary needed Simon, and of course was Simon there for her. That was how it always had been, and always would be, Elaine knew.  
"What was it you wanted to tell me?"  
Isabelle smiled, looked down at her left hand and then back up. Elaine followed her gaze, and stopped breathing. On Isabelle's left hand, there was a big diamond ring.  
"Your father and I are getting married!", Isabelle exclaimed with a laugh.  
She looked so happy, Elaine hadn't seen her mother look like that in what felt like forever. Elaine couldn't help but smile. She was also happy. Her parents had been together since a few years before Elaine was born, and neither of them had ever popped the question. She was beginning to feel excited, there was so much to prepare for the now upcoming wedding! _Finally, there was something to celebrate around here_ , Elaine thought. But then she felt guilty. It was the day after her _parabatai_ Carly's sister's funeral. This was not a day for celebration. This was a day for grieving and remembering.  
"We want a mix between a Shadowhunter and a mundane wedding, and we want you to be the maid of honor, if you want to."  
Elaine forgot everything about Carly and Aloise. Instead, she smiled and ran to hug her mother. They cried in each other's arms, tears of love, grief and hope.

Carly didn't leave her bed that day, and not the day after that either. When she heard the news that Isabelle and Simon were getting married, she just wished them good luck and held back the tears. Elaine visited her a few times, and so did Florian and Blythe. They tried to cheer her up, but it didn't succeed. After that, they tried to talk her into joining them for training. After that failed, they just sat there and kept saying that everything would be okay. It wasn't until five days later that she got some interesting new. It was Jace who delivered them. Her father came in, kissed her on her forehead and took one of her hands. She just wanted to cry. She loved her father so much, and she couldn't stand seeing him so heartbroken. It broke her heart even more.  
"I have some news for you, besides from the engagement.", he said, and Carly could see that even though his soul was hurting from losing one of his daughters, he was genuinely happy for Simon and Isabelle. He wasn't always Simon's biggest fan, but those two had grown to love each other like brothers.  
"What is it?", Carly asked faintly.  
"You know the attack on the New Jersey Institute?"  
Carly was familiar with it. It was in that battle Aloise had been killed, when she was on a mission there. A mission Carly had been supposed to go on…  
"Yeah…", Carly said and shared a look with Jace.  
He swallowed and took a deep breath, but continued.  
"The Carstairs family, who was running the Institute, got killed. Everyone except their son and his _parabatai_ , a girl the family took in when she lost her parents. They are to be moved here.", Jace announced. Carly didn't say anything, she just nodded and waited for Jace to leave. When he did, she rushed up and ran to her desk. In the top drawer, she found her stack of old diaries. She looked for the one she had been writing in when she was thirteen. When she found it, she opened it and looked for his name. It was on almost every page. Carly blushed in embarrassment. She had known his name since she was little, but when she met him she had fell in love with him, and had had the biggest crush on him ever from the ages of thirteen to fourteen. He had barely noticed her, and why would he? He was someone everyone everyone had hear of. He was Ludwig Carstairs, and she was just Carly Herondale, always in the shadow of either her famous parents or her beautiful and talented sister. But her beloved sister Aloise was dead now. And Ludwig was coming here, to the New York Institute, Carly's home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi, and thanks for reading my story! I know that it must be confusing with all the new characters, so here is a list:  
Carly Theresa Herondale, 17: daughter of Clary and Jace  
Aloise Celine Herondale, dead at 17: Carly's twin sister  
Blythe Catarina Lightwood, 18: adoptive daughter of Magnus and Alec  
Florian William Lightwood, 19: adoptive son of Magnus and Alec  
Elwin Max Raphael Lightwood, 10: adoptive son of Magnus and Alec  
Elaine Maryse Rebecca Lightwood, 18: daughter of Simon and Isabelle  
Ludwig Carstairs, 19: distant relative to Emma Carstairs, and James (Jem) Carstairs  
Alexia Fairchild, 19: distant relative to Clary**

 **I hoped that it helped a bit :) This is my first fan fiction ever, and it is also the first story I've ever written in English, so I'm sorry about potential spelling and grammar mistakes. Hope you enjoy it anyway! xoxo, Sharity.**

Carly Herondale was sitting on her bed, reading a book when the knock came. She put the book down before letting the person wanting to see her know that they could come in. It was Blythe who entered the room, all dressed in black, and the color matched her long straight hair. The ice blue eyes were surrounded by spider-leg eyelashes. Now she was batting them at Carly.  
"Sorry to interrupt you reading, but our guests has arrived.", Blythe said.  
"Already?", Carly asked, surprised and a little terrified.  
Blythe nodded.  
"You might want to put on something else than you pajamas. Just a friendly advise.", Blythe said and left Carly's room. She looked down at her pajamas. It was pink with teddy bears on it. Carly would die if anyone except her parents, Elaine, Blythe and Aloise saw it. But then she realized, Aloise would never see her silly pajamas again, or tease her for it. She would never discuss books or movies with Carly again, never talk about a cute boy, never laugh until she couldn't breathe, never ask Carly about her opinion on an outfit. Aloise was dead, and nothing in the world could ever change that, no matter how much Carly wanted to.  
She turned off all of her feelings, a trick she had learnt when she first heard of her sister's death, and walked over to her closet. It didn't matter anymore what she would wear, so she just picked out a black tank top and a pair of black pants. On her feet, she put on black sneakers. She took a quick look in the mirror on the wall. Her long, wavy hair was strawberry blonde, a mix between the color of her father's and her mother's hair. On her pale skin, her many freckles were visible. Her body was small and slender. She looked mostly like Clary, but in som places, like around the mouth, she looked like Jace. Carly wished that she was as gorgeous as her mother or her grandmother. _Even Blythe and Elaine are more beautiful than I,_ Carly thought for herself before looking away from the mirror and leaving her room to greet the guests.

Blythe Lightwood was not excited about having new people living at the Institute. It was her home now, and she didn't want anyone else to invade it. But her father Alec had told her to put on a smile, so she did. She, Florian, Alec, Clary and Jace had been standing in the great hallway, waiting for the guests to arrive, when Clary had asked Blythe to go and get Carly. Blythe didn't want to. Carly had been such a nervous wreck since her sister died, and it made Blythe annoyed. Sure, it would hurt like hell if Florian, Elwin or Alec died, but they were Shadowhunters. Death was a central part of everyday life. They were bound to risk their lives for others, over and over again. Blythe thought that it was honorable that Aloise had died in a battle against demons. She had fought to the very last moment. So had Agnes… It stung when Blythe thought about her ex-girlfriend, a werewolf named Agnes Nightingale, who had been killed a few months ago. They still hadn't found the killer. Blythe swallowed hard, and pushed away every memory of Agnes, deep into her mind and locked it in a box, and buried the key.

When Carly got down to the big hallway, Ludwig Carstairs and his _parabatai_ were shaking hands with Clary, Jace, Florian and Blythe. Alec had offered to take their bags to their rooms, so he was gone. She immediately recognized Ludwig. She blushed when she was how handsome he was. He had light, brown hair in a cute hairstyle and eyes that looked either gray, green or blue, depending on the light. His body was tall and muscular. Carly blushed even more when she saw the adorable freckles on his cheeks and nose, and his charming smile. She remembered her silly childhood crush on him, and decided to keep her distance, and let her parents handle the talking.  
"Ludwig Carstairs? Then you must be related to Emma Carstairs.", Carly heard her mother say.  
"Yeah, but very distant related. Do you know her?", Ludwig's voice was soft.  
Carly's mother smiled.  
"Yes, indeed. She is very dear to me.", Clary said.  
Jace, who had been quiet the entire time, turned to girl standing behind Ludwig, his _parabatai._ She was really cute, with curly, red hair, blue eyes, pale skin and freckles all over her face and bare arms.  
"You're Alexia, right? What's your last name?", Jace asked kindly.  
"Uhm… Fairchild.", Alexia answered, looking shyly at Jace.  
He looked surprised, and turned to his wife.  
"Then you're a part of the family. I was born a Fairchild.", Clary said, looking really delighted with the information. Then she must have thought of something else, because the look on her face went dark.  
"I'm really sorry for your loss. Just know you are truly welcomed here.", Clary said to Alexia and Ludwig. The latter looked down on his feet. It was Alexia who spoke next.  
"Thank you. We are sorry for your loss, too."  
The room went quiet. Florian and Blythe exchanged a look. Carly noticed how badly they wanted to get away from all the silent sadness in the room. She decided to spare them further awkwardness, so she headed toward Ludwig and Alexia, discreetly wiping off the sweat on her palms. When he heard her walking, Ludwig looked up on her. She couldn't quite read his what his eyes said, but for a short second, he looked astounded. But why would he be that?  
Blythe had also heard her coming, and casually put a hand on Carly's shoulder.  
"This is Carly.", she said to Alexia and Ludwig.  
Alexia smiled at Carly, a smile that made her instantly like the new girl. Ludwig did not smile.  
"Yeah, I know.", he said.  
He must have seen the confused look on everyone's faces, because he quickly added:  
"We met a few years ago in Idris, remember?", he explained.  
Carly simply nodded.  
"Okay, sorry, but Clary and I have to go. There have been a few incidents we have to take care of.", Jace said.  
"What kind of incidents?", Florian, who had been silent all along, said.  
"Murdered Downworlders. Faeries mostly. We don't know who is killing them.", Clary answered.  
Blythe looked at Jace and Clary angrily.  
"Why didn't anyone tell us?", she asked.  
But neither Clary nor Jace got a chance to respond to that, because in that moment, little Elwin rushed into the hallway. He took a quick look at Alexia and Ludwig, but didn't acknowledge them anymore than that.  
"Guess who just called me!", he yelled.  
Both Blythe and Florian sighed and rolled their eyes at their younger brother.  
"Who?", Carly asked.  
"It was Father!", Elwin squealed.  
Everyone looked confused.  
"But… Alec is just in th-", Jace started.  
"Not Alec. Magnus! He is back in New York!", Elwin laughed.  
Then he turned and ran back the way he came, shouting something about finally see his Father again, and leaving everyone in shock.

Magnus Lightwood-Bane walked the streets of New York City. He had silver highlights in his hair, glitter around his eyes, and he was wearing a suit of sequins. People looked at him funny, or rolled their eyes, but Magnus knew how fabulous he was. At least on the outside. Inside, his soul ached for his beautiful children. And for Alexander, the stunning Alexander Lightwood.  
 _Behold, New York City, Magnus Lightwood-Bane is back,_ he thought for himself as he made his way to his old apartment in Brooklyn.


End file.
